Sri Lanka announce 17 man squad for England tour

Sri Lanka Cricket Board have named Kaushal Silva in their 17-man Test squad for their tour of England, despite the serious head injury he sustained on Sunday.

Sri Lanka batsman Kaushal Silva suffered a dangerous head injury during a practice match at Pallekele and had to be immediately airlifted to a Colombo hospital for treatment. The wicketkeeper-batsman had to be airlifted to Colombo. Kaushal was hit on his head while fielding at short-leg. He suffered a mild concussion at the spot but was released from the hospital on Tuesday.

The 17-man squad features 10 batsmen, five pacemen, and two spin bowlers.

Sri Lanka Cricket said the squad led by Angelo Matthews will depart on May 4, with the first Test at Headingley starting on May 19. Young guns Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis keep their place in the team despite being lukewarm in recent outings.

The only fresh name in the squad was Tamil Union batsman Dhanajaya de Silva. Silva earned his place with the help of an excellent first-class season for the Tamil Union, hitting 868 runs at an average of 54.25 in a victorious Premier League campaign. Lahiru Thirimanne, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation for his hamstring, is most likely to miss the first Test according to team management.

Veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who announced his retirement from limited-overs cricket earlier this month, has also included in the squad. He will have off-spinner Dilruwan Perera with him in the spin bowling department. Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal and Shaminda Eranga make up the pace battery.

Sri Lanka is set to travel to England for three Tests and five ODIs and one T20I against England. In addition to that, Sri Lanka will play two ODIs against Ireland as well.

Sri Lanka Test squad for tour of England: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dhammika Prasad, Dilruwan Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal (vice-captain), Dushmantha Chameera, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana, Niroshan Dickwella, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal.

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